2023-10-25 20:47:00
Urgent request from the FPÖ rejected
Vienna (PK) – At today’s demand from the FPÖ Special session of the National Council There was a broad commitment to Austria’s neutrality. Not only FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl but also representatives of other parties emphasized the importance of neutrality. But they also warned against the Freedom Party’s understanding of neutrality. The Social Democrats have upheld a neutral Austria from the beginning and will continue to pay attention to this in the future, said SPÖ MP Leichtfried. State Secretary Claudia Plakolm, who represented Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who was in Israel, at the meeting, also identified an “overwhelming consensus” on this issue both among politicians and among the population. The FPÖ only wants to “stir up fear and uncertainty”; there are no plans to abolish neutrality, she assured.
The FPÖ had previously given the federal government one Urgent request accused of endangering not only Austria’s neutrality but also Austria’s sovereignty with their policy. She demanded that Austria must withdraw from the “neutrality-destroying and economically ruinous” sanctions policy against Russia as well as from the “military support of the warring party Ukraine” and veto any expansion of the EU’s powers – for example in matters of asylum and migration policy, climate policy or monetary policy. In the opinion of the Freedom Party, the UN development goals (SDGs) set out in the “Agenda 2030” and the WHO’s plans to combat pandemics also endanger the country’s sovereignty.
However, the urgent motion did not receive a majority in the vote. The same applies to a motion for a resolution by the SPÖ, with which defense spokesman Robert Laimer and his party colleagues called for a committed policy of neutrality in Austria. Specifically, the SPÖ wants to strengthen national defense, a credible foreign policy, maintaining the principle of unanimity in questions of the EU’s common foreign and security policy, tightening export controls of war material at national and European level and strict lobbying rules for representatives of the Arms industry a concern.
Two motions submitted by the FPÖ to set a deadline for the Constitutional Committee to consider their motions remained in the minority. This concerned freedom demands for one Veto referendum against climate paternalism and for those Enhancement of neutrality.
Kickl: Government has “betrayed and destroyed” Austria’s neutrality and sovereignty
FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl used the justification for the urgent motion to launch sharp attacks against the federal government. He complained that neutrality and sovereignty were “supporting pillars of the republic” but were of no value to the “political elite” in Austria. For him, this is reflected not least in the absence of Chancellor Nehammer and Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler from the debate. The government leadership is on the run from parliament, on the run from the FPÖ, on the run from its own people and on the run from neutrality, said Kickl. The absence of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also fits into this picture for him.
Kickl was convinced that the wars in Ukraine and Israel can only be solved politically and “not on the battlefield.” It’s about peace. In his opinion, Austria, as a neutral state, would have good conditions for a mediator role, but this opportunity would be missed by the government. He emphasized that neutrality means not acting in a partisan manner and not taking sides as a lawyer. It’s about building trust and reducing tension. Bruno Kreisky lived this spirit in foreign policy at the time.
The two wars also had a dramatic impact on Austria, emphasized Kickl. “Where is your empathy and concern when it comes to the victims in your own country?” he asked the government bench and spoke of “fundamental wrong decisions in the past.” The government had “smashed and betrayed” neutrality and sovereignty and allowed itself to be “driven into an economic war”, the price of which the people were now paying.
Kickl also identified Austria’s “incredible EU subservience” and accused the EU, among other things, of “systematic censorship under the guise of the fight against disinformation.” The WHO is also full of “fantasies of omnipotence” and wants to eliminate national parliaments in the event of a pandemic being declared. In order to protect Austria “from encroachments by the EU” and other international organizations, Kickl believes a constitutional change is necessary, although he supported a motion put forward by the FPÖ some time ago.
Plakolm: FPÖ wants to stir up fear and uncertainty without any basis
State Secretary Claudia Plakolm accused the FPÖ of wanting to stir up “fear and uncertainty” without any real basis. There is an “overwhelming consensus” regarding Austria’s neutrality, both in politics and among the population, she emphasized. There are no plans to abolish neutrality. According to her, the ÖVP also clearly supports neutrality.
Plakolm emphasized that being neutral does not mean having no opinion on global political events. Although Austria is militarily neutral, politically it will always be on the side of those who are attacked in violation of international law or who are victims of terrorist attacks. Terror is “the enemy of democracy”, which is why Austria will never be neutral towards terror.
However, neutrality alone does not protect, it must also be defended, emphasized Plakolm. Only a defensive neutrality offers security for the population. That is why there has recently been a stronger focus on national defense. The army budget will reach a volume of more than €4 billion for the first time in 2024. She also sees Austria’s accession to the Sky Shield missile defense system as an investment in the country’s security. Plakolm also referred to the measures taken by the government to ensure the country’s prosperity. Austria remains “a safe, peaceful and prosperous country,” said the State Secretary.
Defense Minister Tanner: Soldiers receive the resources they need to protect people
On the national holiday, Austria is celebrating its armed forces and the adoption of the Neutrality Act, explained Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. In the past, the constitution had not been done sufficiently justice and the strong democracy, and thus the Austrian armed forces, had not been provided with the necessary resources. The key to countering crises is cooperation, Tanner thanked the MPs for the funding increases in the army budget. This would finally give the soldiers the tools they need to protect people.
ÖVP misses the FPÖ’s constructive contributions to overcoming the crises and accuses it of polarization and division
“The FPÖ stands where club chairman Kickl put it,” said MP Christian Stocker (ÖVP) to the FPÖ. If this is the right-wing extremist fringe, then this is solely their responsibility. One effect of this is, among other things, that at the international level no one except the AfD wants to talk to Kickl anymore. Stocker judged that the Freedom Party was not interested in constructive solutions either at home or abroad.
However, the government is taking a different path with Chancellor Nehammer, who traveled to Israel today and is trying to maintain channels of communication. Stocker saw the heated debate about neutrality that was now being conducted by the FPÖ as just a pretext, because the Freedom Party was actually interested in leaving the EU. Kickl should also be accused of destroying the very institution that was supposed to protect Austria from terror during his work as Interior Minister. The rejection of participation in the Sky Shield initiative also shows that he doesn’t care about external security, complained Stocker, who described Kickl as a “threat” to self-determination and neutrality. The path towards polarization, division, “dwarfization” and isolation is not one that Austria wants.
Friedrich Ofenauer (ÖVP) also warned that Austria would be isolated by leaving international organizations.
The FPÖ is not neutral given its contacts with Russia, Afghanistan and Chechnya, criticized Gudrun Kugler (ÖVP) and warned that the FPÖ would unsettle the population.
The FPÖ is not interested in being neutral, but rather in supporting a party, Wolfgang Gerstl (ÖVP) called for the FPÖ’s contract with the “Putin Party” to be disclosed.
SPÖ accuses the Freedom Party of unreliable politics
SPÖ MP Jörg Leichtfried took a look at the history of the liberal party, recalling that its predecessor organization VdU was the only faction to vote against neutrality in 1955. In 2004, Jörg Haider spoke out in favor of joining NATO, although his speech may have been written by Kickl. And what does it have to do with neutrality if you send a delegation to the Taliban in Afghanistan and behave “partially” regarding Russia’s inhumane attack on Ukraine, asked Leichtfried. The actions of the FPÖ today, which is once again on the wrong side of history, are therefore more than unbelievable. It was always the Social Democrats that upheld a neutral Austria from the beginning and would continue to do so in the future, emphasized Leichtfried. In any case, he would rather “trust his dog with a sausage” than neutrality to the FPÖ.
In contrast to the Freedom Party, the SPÖ has not changed its opinion on neutrality, said Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek (SPÖ) and recalled the FPÖ’s demand for NATO membership.
Neutrality means standing up for women’s rights, human rights and peace and providing humanitarian aid, Eva Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) criticized the liberal motion.
Robert Laimer (SPÖ) called for a “committed neutrality policy in times of crisis”. He backed up his demand with a motion for a resolution tabled during the debate, which remained in the minority. In it, Laimer advocated, among other things, comprehensive national defense as a basis for security and peace policy, a revival of Austria’s role as a mediator in conflicts and the retention of the unanimity principle at EU level on questions of foreign, security and defense policy.
Just as people are social creatures, no state would be well advised to isolate itself, said Petra Bayr (SPÖ) and called for “committed neutrality”.
FPÖ: Neutral countries are more important than ever in times of war
An article recently appeared in the New York Times stating that the world needs more neutral countries, said FPÖ MP Susanne Fürst at the meeting. She could only agree with this, especially since, especially in times of war, states are needed that pursue an active policy of neutrality and make contributions to conflict resolution. The accusation against the FPÖ that by advocating neutrality it is merely adopting the propaganda of a warring party is therefore “pathetic”. The opposite is the case, as Austria is being exposed and taken “hostage” by government representatives’ demands for tougher action against Russia. “Stop associating the liberal party with extremism and hate speech,” Fürst specifically appealed to the Interior Minister, because this would also denigrate around 30% of voters. In addition, citizens could see for themselves if State Secretary Plakolm, in view of the declaration of terror alert level 4 in Austria, claimed that there was no reason for fear and uncertainty. In the last few days, extremely worrying scenes have taken place on the Austrian streets, where religiously motivated extremists in particular have chanted slogans of violence and hate. Now they are targeting those who have been warning about such developments for years, complained Fürst, and recalled that the Freedom Party had been placed in a xenophobic, Islamophobic corner for this.
Volker Reifenberger (FPÖ) spoke of a “hands-on violation of neutrality” in view of the Defense Minister’s signing of the declaration of intent to join Skyshield.
Petra Steger (FPÖ) identified a “shattering” and “undermining” of neutrality by the federal government.
In view of “Islamist demonstrations” and “imported anti-Semitism”, their causes must be combated, Hannes Amesbauer (FPÖ) called for measures against “unhindered illegal mass immigration”.
Greens: Active foreign and defense policy within the framework of the European Union
Michel Reimon from the Greens suspected that the 16-page urgent motion was intended primarily to provide the FPÖ-affiliated chat groups with conspiracy theories again. The liberal mandataries knew exactly that what they were doing today was a “disgrace”. Above all, the warning against joining NATO, which the majority of parties in parliament do not want anyway, is a “kidding” of voters. Since Austria “can’t even get a transport plane into the air,” NATO wouldn’t accept Austria even if it wanted to. What is needed is an active foreign and defense policy, since Austria cannot continue to free ride around the world. Reimon was convinced that the strongest tool Austria had in its hands was the European Union. In order to be truly sovereign, we would also have to strive for an exit from oil and gas and thus independence from autocratic states. Finally, Reimon drew parallels between right-wing extremist and fundamentalist groups, which have the same access, especially when it comes to anti-Semitism.
The FPÖ is a “traitor of neutrality” and not a defender, David Stögmüller (Greens) criticized the FPÖ’s attitude to the war of aggression against Ukraine and the Skyshield project.
Agnes Sirkka Prammer (Greens) pointed to the constitutional anchoring of neutrality and Austria’s “excellent” reputation in international organizations. The FPÖ should stop downplaying Austria’s role and scaring people.
NEOS advocate strengthening the common security and defense policy and building a European army
The promise of an open society and a liberal democracy is that every person can develop in the way that suits them, stated the club chairwoman of the NEOS Beate Meinl-Reisinger. Given the enormous challenges and multiple crises that the world is currently facing, we must at the same time come to the conclusion that this is easier to achieve together than alone. In her opinion, this also applies to the issue of security, which is why her group has always advocated greater integration in security policy issues at EU level. This also includes building a “real European army,” emphasized the club chairwoman. Being defensive also means that defense capability must be promoted at all levels.
In the direction of the FPÖ, Meinl-Reisinger pointed out that the Kremlin has been trying to influence Austrian domestic politics for years. The focus is on the FPÖ, which even has a cooperation agreement with Putin’s party. It is therefore completely clear that it is precisely the FPÖ that is massively putting Austria’s security at risk.
Neutral states are always the first to be attacked, Helmut Brandstätter (NEOS) also pointed out the importance of alliance partners.
No matter how you feel about neutrality, Austria is protected by membership in the EU, warned Yannick Shetty (NEOS) about what he sees as the FPÖ’s actual goal, namely leaving the EU. (End of special session) gs/sue/pst
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